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Alfonso XIV of Spain
Alfonso XIV '''(born 22nd May 1704) is the reigning King of Spain from the House of Bourbon, succeeding his father Felipe VII upon his death in 1723. His reign has been known for significant economic and social advancement, as well as cultural advancements. During his reign, culture in Spain has reached new heights, with Spain becoming a centre for art and culture over his twenty-five years. Ascending the throne aged nineteen in 1723, he has been known for his stable and prosperous rule, as well as his significant expansion of the power and legitimacy of the Spanish Bourbons, helping gain them further acceptance as rulers of Spain following the centuries of Habsburg rule over the Kingdoms of the Spanish Crown. Despite continued animosity between the Habsburg Emperors and the Bourbon Kings of Spain, Alfonso has been able to keep his throne stable against them for many years. Early Life '''Birth and Baptism Alfonso XIV was born on May 22nd, 1704 at the Royal Alcazar of Madrid to Felipe VII, King of Spain and his wife, Maria Carlotta of Parma. He was born during the midst of the War of the Spanish Succession, a time in which his father's throne was precarious and disputed. Nonetheless, Alfonso was given the style of Infante and named Prince of Asturias, the traditional style of the heir to the throne of Spain. He was the first of the Bourbon dynasty to hold that style, as his father was the first King of the Bourbon Dynasty. His father had hastily arranged his marriage with the wealthy heiress, Maria Carlotta, to both produce a legitimate heir to his precarious throne and to bring the Duchy of Parma into the fold of Spanish influence. Alfonso was baptised the same day as his birth, in the chapel at the Real Alcazar, in the presence of all the King's court. He was named Alfonso Javier Juan Carlos Fernando Luis Serafin Diego Salvador, and was then officially invested as Prince of Asturias and heir apparent to the Spanish throne. Bells tolled across the Kingdom, even in New Spain, and their was massive celebration in the capital for the birth of an heir to the throne after decades of dynastic instability beneath the last Habsburgs, who had been considered too inbred to produce new heirs, which inevitably led to the succession of the Bourbons. His birth seemingly put an end to a dynastic question of a potential union between the crowns of France and Spain, which had been an ever increasing worry with the Bourbon succession to the throne of Spain. Those allied against the Bourbon cause in the war had the concern that such a union between two powers would greatly upset the balance of power in the world and create a superpower to crush the rest of the nations of Europe. Even in the homelands of Spain's enemies, the birth of Alfonso was rejoiced for it ruled out the possibility of a Franco-Spanish Union. The Spanish court celebrated the birth for a week afterwards, with many festivities and balls being held despite the war. There were splendid fireworks displays also, celebrating the birth of the new Infante. Childhood and Education Alfonso was raised at the Real Alcazar in Madrid, the capital and official residence of his father. Over time, he was joined by three younger siblings. Infante Juan, his nearest younger sibling, was by far his favourite sibling. The two brothers were practically inseparable in their youths, sharing everything from the same tutors, the same nannies and the same toys. Alfonso had a notably good temperament in his youth, and was kind and charitable. He enjoyed roaming Madrid, and interacting with peasant children, even offering them some of his things at times. He was not selfish and never envied others for what they had, and he also grew to be a firm believer in justice and proper treatment of his people. He desired to be loved by the Spanish people during his youth and to do so he chose to take greatly to his studies, choosing to appear as a diligent and hard-working person. He possessed a certain drive to accomplish things, and always applied himself the best he could to every challenge and problem he encountered. He would also take to hunting, often accompanying his father on court hunting trips. The War of the Spanish Succession was finally concluded when he was ten years old, after which Alfonso noted a change in the atmosphere in Spain. He noted a certain happiness from the people now that the war had ended, and he chose to fraternise with them even more. Alfonso grew to be strong and robust, enjoying physical activity as well as learning and study. He was able to more fully accompany the King on his hunts when he grew taller, to which Felipe VII noted that, "He has a certain talent for the hunt. He has had relatively little training, yet he is a skilled marksman. I certainly do feel a sense of pride in him. He will turn out to be an excellent soldier". ''Seeing this, Felipe VII chose to shift Alfonso's education to focus more heavily on military and martial affairs. He rapidly took to his new studies with the energy and vigour of youth, becoming a skilled tactician and fighter. His father had once presented him with a scenario the Spanish had faced during the War of the Spanish Succession. A battle they'd ended up losing, he put it to him on a large strategy table to see how they could have won. He had managed to show the King a probable way the Spanish forces could've achieved a narrow victory in the battle, which largely impressed Felipe VII. '''Adolescence and Marriage' In 1721, when Alfonso was seventeen, Felipe VII began scouring Europe for a match for Alfonso. He eventually settled on Jeanne di Grimaldi, a daughter of the Prince of Monaco. Although the Prince was not a powerful man, his family was an ancient and prestigious one, and they shared similar French heritage to the Bourbons. Although some others suggested that Alfonso should marry a Spanish noblewoman, the King had decided to send the offer for Jeanne to marry him. The Prince accepted the proposal, and Jeanne was officially handed over to Spain on the border with France, in the very North of Catalonia. It was a vigorous event, one which took much organisation and included a lot of pomp and circumstance. Jeanne was considered to be a well-read and well-educated woman, and though she was not beautiful she was not difficult to look upon. The traditional Spanish court stuck fervently by their customs, yet the handing over was more of a new custom introduced to Spain by the House of Bourbon. Their French heritage brought many new French customs to the Spanish court, which came to be integrated with Spanish Etiquette. Things such as the Lever and Coucher, the public dinners of the King and even the dressing and undressing by noblemen each night. Many of the Spanish nobles came to accept these new traditions, as a more organised court life would let them stay closer to the King, should they remain in positive favour with him. Alfonso grew closer to his father, the King, during this time. He realised that they shared many common interests, including their passion for warfare and reading, and both sought to introduce more French courtly customs in the Spanish Court. With the death of Louis XIV and the ascension of the child King Louis XV in France, Felipe VII had been looking dotingly upon their French Bourbon counterparts. He sought to ensure that the good relations between the crowns of France and Spain remained, and so Alfonso was sent on a visit to Versailles. At Versailles, Alfonso was given a grand reception for his visit. The Prince of Asturias was welcomed in France almost as though he was already the King of Spain. At the French court, he was treated regally and with respect, given all the luxuries he might have received in his own court. He met with Philippe II, Duc d'Orleans, regent of the French Kingdom, with whom he signed a pact of continued friendship and non-aggression with, on behalf of his father. This helped the French-Spanish Alliance to continue prospering. Shortly after, however, Felipe VII fell seriously ill with pneumonia. Reign Death of Felipe VII and Events When he receive the news that Felipe VII had fallen seriously ill, he bade farewell to the court of Versailles and travelled with haste back to Madrid. It was a long journey, and he chose to make it there faster by travelling first to Saintonge, boarding a ship to Oviedo and there riding alone on horseback back to Madrid. It took him around eight days to reach Madrid once more. His then heavily pregnant wife, Jeanne, was also in the city. When he arrived, she described to him how awful the condition of the King was. It was clear to all that the King would die as a result of his Pneumonia. Alfonso, aged just nineteen at the time, felt grievously unready to take on the crown of such a vast Empire, spanning from Italy to the Indies, all across Central America and parts of South America too. Although he had been raised for the prospect, now that it was actually coming he felt a sense of fear about it. He entered the King's chamber, to find his father a shell of his former self, barely being kept alive by the barely life-prolonging treatments by the physicians. Seeing the pain his father was suffering, he ordered the royal physician to stop administering the painful treatments. His family around him, Felipe VII, first Bourbon King of Spain, passed away from Pnuemonia at the age of just fourty. Inheriting his father's vast crown had been a daunting prospect to Alfonso. Being proclaimed King of Spain and each of its constituent realms on the moment of his father's death, he forced himself to appear confident and composed. The news of the King's death first reached the public when Alfonso appeared in public, outside the Real Alcazar, where he was proclaimed King before the people of Madrid. The people hailed the popular Infante as their King, hailing him as "Alfonso, ¡Buen Rey!" ''in the streets. He put on a facade of confidence and experience before them all, yet inside he was crumbling. He taught himself that he must remain strong and composed, if he thought to attempt to rule an Empire as vast as the Spanish Empire. He had seen his father's ruling practices, and chose to do the same as he had. He chose to listen closely to the advice of his councillors, who provided well-educated and experienced views on issues. He was not, however, immune to criticism. The Catalan peoples in the North-East chafed under the control of the Spanish Monarchy, and thus soon would come an uprising in what was believed to be one of the crown's weak moments. '''Early Reign' Around a week into his reign, Alfonso was blessed with an heir to the throne. Queen Juana had birthed a son on October 27th, 1723. A dour and rainy day, the birth passed with ease. Alfonso, however, forbade too many entertainments as the period was still during mourning for the deceased Felipe VII. Despite this, he still allowed some minor celebration for the court and the people. The child was named Prince of Asturias, and was baptised Felipe Antonio Francisco Carlos Alfonso Juan José de Borbon. With the succession secured, Alfonso moved onto much-needed political reform. Felipe VII had been a generally weak politician, winning his throne though warfare and spending the majority of his reign at war. One of his closest advisors during this time was his own mother, the now Dowager Queen Maria Carlotta. Notably an intelligent woman, she spent the rest of her life as a close confidant to her son and giving him her advice. Even still, Alfonso was determined to make it known that he was his own man. Despite his relatively young age, he distanced himself from his father's old advisors, and replaced much of the council with younger noblemen. He was to make it clear that he ruled himself, and that he would not be controlled by any ambitious nobleman. He was crowned King of Spain in 1724, around four months after the death of his father. It was a grand affair at the Almudena Cathedral, in Madrid. Many nobles flocked to the ceremony, leading to a massive influx of people to Madrid. All the great names of Spain were in attendance, from the mightiest Duke to the humblest Lord. A solemn and traditional affair, the Coronation marked what is considered to be the official beginning of his reign, despite his reign de facto beginning upon the death of his father. He also now received the official oaths from the lords of the realm, where each one of them accepted Alfonso as their rightful King. Following his coronation, he commenced a period of sweeping reform for the Kingdom. He changed the way the Italian territories were administered, granting the title of Duke of Parma to his younger brother, creating the House of Bourbon-Parma. He also re-created his cousin Duke of Sicily, re-establishing the House of Bourbon-Sicily, which had been displaced during the War of the Spanish Succession, and had been neglected for restoration during the reign of Felipe VII. Reform and Expansion As Alfonso began coming into his own with his throne, he continued his ambition for reforms to the Spanish government. Believing his father's government to be old and out of touch, he began sweeping replacements across the different ministries. Only a select few of the previous administrators ended up with their positions intact, as Alfonso believed them useful and trustworthy. He quickly set to work on judicial reform, as he saw the corruption that had riddled the justice system since the age of the Habsburg Kings. Many prisoners ended up bribing the Crown's judges, leaving trials with their life despite damning evidence against them. As corruption ran rampant in his country, as did the rate of crime. It was during this time that Alfonso began to realise how much of an incompetent administrator his father had been. The weakness of the country he inherited due to internal complications was staggering, even despite the constant profit and gold from the colonies. Even this had its downsides, however, as vast inflation led to the overpricing of goods and mass famine for a time. Alfonso sought to curb the economic crisis by reducing tariffs on the colonies. Prices for goods slowly decreased again over the coming years, yet no amount of reform could reduce the inevitable economic inflation brought with mass imports from colonies. Alfonso made further Spanish expeditions into Mexico and Africa, establishing new colonies in America by right of the Treaty of Tordesillas, which had granted the Crown of Spain the right to those territories by the Pope. He did, however, find conflict with the King of Portugal over numerous colonial holdings which had long been contested by the two powers. Despite Portugal's large Empire, they were no match for the might of the crown of Spain. A series of conflicts and skirmishes over territories were won by Spanish forces, affirming the power and the right of Spain to hold them. Portugal, eventually, backed away from claiming these territories. With territory in the new world secure, Alfonso moved onto quelling unrest in the homeland. High corruption and inflation led to bread prices continuing to skyrocket, which created unrest and anger against the crown. Despite the general loyalty of the Spanish people to their monarchy, who had led them to new heights of power, they became increasingly agitated as they starved. 1727 - 1729 Uprisings Continued inflation leading to massive bread prices had antagonised the Spanish too far. Even worse, poor harvests in 1727 had led to increasing poverty and starvation. With little to no ability to increase food for his people, Alfonso was left with tied hands. He made it a goal to import more food from the colonies, but that would risk antagonising those living in the colonies also. His refusal to disenfranchise the colonies led to even more feelings of abandonment from his people. Peasants in Valladolid rose in protest against the Crown firstly, followed by almost simultaneous revolts in Barcelona, Valencia, Leon, Burgos, Seville and Oviedo. He scrambled to assemble his armies in Madrid, which thankfully had been spared of uprisings, as the people of Madrid leaved significantly better than those in other cities and towns. Alfonso dispatched a host of veteran men, many from the days of the War of the Spanish Succession, to quell the revolts. The peasants in Burgos were the first they encountered. There were thousands of peasants in Burgos, demanding food from the King's authorities in the city. The troops marched into the square, and ordered the peasants to disperse. When they didn't, a massacre followed. Thousands were killed in the fighting, and despite Alfonso's orders the city was sacked. As a result of the sacking of Burgos, the furious Alfonso called back the troops. He stripped the officers of the army of their ranks, and imprisoned many for their actions against even the innocent. He proceeded to appoint new officers and re-dispatched the army to Barcelona, with specific orders not to sack the city. Hearing of Burgos, many of the peasants in Barcelona chose to yield to the King's army. Those who didn't stood firm, where yet another battle began. It was yet another significant victory for the royal force, and afterwards even the loyalists of Barcelona feared chaos. However, this time obeying the King's orders, the army moved out of Barcelona. The King's authorities in the city were restored to their power, and order was restored in Barcelona. From there, they moved south to Valencia. Valencia had perhaps the largest revolt, as they had the hardest time dealing with the poverty. Continued raids from Pirates in Northern Africa had also crippled the port and their trade income. Tens of thousands had risen up in Valencia and there was the greatest fight of the rebellion. Against the odds, the revolt in Valencia prevailed. Alfonso's army was routed, though with few losses. Alfonso recuperated his armies to the South, and moved back with full force. This time, the battle was utter chaos. Royal forces inflicted a bloody massacre against the rebels, with much damage done to the city in the process. The square of Valencia was almost destroyed by canon fire, ironically containing a statue of the King's own father, Felipe VII, which was destroyed during the fighting. Valencia remained under occupation for two weeks, the ruined city being kept at peace by the presence of the Royal forces. Eventually, Alfonso sent an order for them to move on, to deal with the remaining rebels. They moved onto Seville, which surprisingly surrendered with no conflict when they heard of the previous chaotic defeats in Burgos, Barcelona and Valencia. Alfonso was more lenient with Seville, leaving them in peace after the formal surrender and capture of the main instigator there. Much of the same occurred with the remaining revolts, with a few battles and some surrenders. Eventually, the instability and chaos of 1727, 1728 and 1729 were over. Royal authority had been reasserted, at the cost of many lives and much popular approval for Alfonso himself, as his failure to negotiate led people to believe their King cared more about his power than their lives and well-being. Alfonso learned important lessons from these events, however. He learned that the authority of the crown must remain paramount, that the monarchy must keep its appearance as a large and powerful institution and that the income from the colonies must be controlled to prevent mass inflation. In the aftermath, bread prices gradually decreased and order returned. Five Year War (1732 - 1737) Bitterness still came from the House of Habsburg over the result of the War of the Spanish Succession, even now eighteen years after its conclusion. Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI still sought to retake his house's lost holdings in Spain after the demise of the Spanish Habsburgs with Fernando IV, he believed himself natural successor, thus kicking off the war. With a Bourbon victory, however, Charles VI had been biding his time. Felipe VII was dead, and Spain had just come out of a period of anarchy and revolt. He believed it to be a ripe time to strike, which Alfonso had been secretly well-prepared for. He had expected the Habsburgs to return for Spain, and thus had been reinforcing his defences and his army in the aftermath of the uprisings. Even still, he came gravely unprepared for what would come. Alfonso had been sending envoys back and forth to the French Court, seeking support when war inevitably erupted. Louis XV eventually, with the advice of his council, guaranteed French support against the Habsburgs should a war erupt. Alfonso was confident in the assurance, and merely waited for Charles VI to make his move. For a time, there was an eerie quiet from the Habsburgs, until finally on December 4th 1732, war was declared against Spain over continued disputes for the Spanish throne. Louis XV honoured his word and sided with Spain. Also siding with Spain was Prussia, traditional Austrian rivals. Austria was supported by the vast amount of Habsburg dominions, as well as many smaller states of the Holy Roman Empire, including Bavaria and The Palatinate. Eventually, the war almost divided the Holy Roman Empire into two, with those opposed to and supporting Austria at each other's throats. Most of the engagements began in Italy, where Spain and Austria shared borders with their domains. Spanish manoeuvring in Italy went well to begin with, with many decisive engagements being won. A Spanish army was, however, annihilated at the Battle of Milan in 1733. A French force did, however, reinforce the destroyed Spanish division and enacted a similar crushing blow on the Austrian forces. The most decisive part of the war was the Battle of Venice in 1735. The Battle is remembered today as a chaotic frenzy, a failure of warfare for both sides, which led to drastic loss of life and many negative repercussions for both sides. The Battle of Venice is what kicked off the desire for peace among both parties. The battle was not planned by either side, an Austrian force ran into a Spanish force passing through nearby territory. The heavily unprepared Spanish force scrambled to form some sort of structure, while the advantage the Austrians seemingly had was completely misused by them. They were slow in their deployment, and Alfonso's forces had managed to form a defence by the time they'd become ready. He ordered a general advance into Austrian territory, seizing South Tirol and even marching onward in the direction of Vienna itself during the winter of 1736. Charles VI eventually came to the negotiating table, seeing what he could gain from his losses. Alfonso, however, was relentless in his desire for vengeance against the Habsburgs. He ravaged the Austrian countryside, sacking it of its riches, and laying siege to Vienna itself by 1737. The eventual peace was crushing for the Habsburgs. Charles VI and his descendants were forced to annul any claim they had to the Spanish throne, pay a massive sum to Spain and remove any forces from Italy. They were forced to recognise Alfonso XIV's legitimacy to the Spanish throne, and the same for his descendants. Red Summer Affair (1741) A plot against Alfonso's life was discovered in the summer of 1741, after a foiled assassination attempt in Madrid. The attempt was followed by torture of the would-be assassin, who led a trail back to many prominent courtiers. Most prominent of these was the Cardinal Alba, Cardinal-Protector of Spain. This created a massive scandal in the court, and many bickered of a man of God attempting to kill God's appointed monarch. Many called for the Cardinal's execution, but Alfonso was left in a predicament. He had him removed from the Council, and confined to house arrest. Alfonso remained conflicted on what should be done with Cardinal Alba for some time. He would eventually have Cardinal Alba tried, after correspondence and agreement with the Pope, where he was found guilty of treason and conspiracy against the crown. Alba was sentenced to death, and executed on February 4th, 1742. The plots did not stop there, however. WIPCategory:Monarchs of Spain Category:House of Bourbon Category:Births in Madrid Category:Royal Family Category:Princes of Asturias Category:18th Century Births